Videl Briefs
by Kakarot Son
Summary: Videl accepts an invitation to live at Capsule Corporation after her father's untimely demise. Unfortunately, a hot-blooded teen, an egotistical prince and a step mum who frequently toys with the laws of physics are a recipe for disaster.
1. Chapter 1

_"_ _I'm thinking about asking Brad out,"_ said Erasa, her eager voice coming through Videl's phone. " _I mean, I know he likes me, but he just won't take a hint and make the first move."_

"That jerk?" questioned Videl as she sighed, kicking back atop her bed with a sigh. It had been a long day and it felt good to be able to finally lie down for a moment or two.

 _"_ _I'm sorry that we all haven't sworn off boys for all eternity,"_ Erasa shot back and Videl couldn't help but picture the triumphant smirk on the girl's face. _"He's not really that bad a guy once you look past the cockiness."_

"And how full of himself he is," added Videl before sighing. She could go on, but she knew that her words would go through one of her blonde-haired friend's ears and out the other. "So what plans do you have for the summer? I mean, I know you guys are going away and everything in a few days but is that all?"

 _"_ _Yeah, I think so. Sorry Vi, but it looks like you're all on your own_ , _"_ Erasa said apologetically. _"I'll make sure I keep in touch with you every couple of days though, someone needs to look after you after all."_

"Sure," Videl rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I better get a babysitter to go watch me beat up some criminals next time."

 _"_ _It'd be perfect for you!"_ chuckled Erasa. _"So anyway, are you going to do anything this summer aside from working out? At the rate you're going, it's not because you've sworn off guys that you'll never get a boyfriend but because you'll scare them away with all your big muscles."_

"I don't need some wimpy guy in my life who's just trying to leech off dad's money," shrugged Videl.

 _"_ _Aww… there, there Vi, I'm sure there are plenty of them out there who'll like you for who you are,"_ said Erasa sympathetically as though she could relate to Videl's struggles. _"Hey, if the whole thing with Brad doesn't work out, I could at the very least nudge him in your direction. Y'know, let you score off the rebound and all."_

Videl grunted as she shook her head. "How is it that you've already planned for your not-yet existent relationship with Brad to fail?"

 _"_ _In the world of romance, you've always got to be thinking a few steps ahead,"_ advised Erasa as her voice adopted a sage-like tone.

"Ugh," Videl groaned. "Anyway, I'll talk to ya later, I'm starting to feel a little peckish."

 _"_ _Well I'll talk to you tomorrow or something then, night_ , _"_ said Erasa as she hung up.

Videl tossed the phone onto her bed and got up. The cook would have no doubt retired for the night but she didn't need some fancy french guy to grab one of the cookies in the pantry. Slowly, Videl made her way to the kitchen while doing her utmost to ignore her stomach's gentle rumbling.

 _'_ _I wonder if dad's home yet,'_ Videl thought to herself. As of late her father generally returned home pretty late - ever since defeating Cell, he'd become a bit of a businessman as well. While he still definitely brushed up on his martial arts, it was no longer his sole purpose in life.

She paused for a moment on her way to the pantry as she realised that a light had been left on.

 _'_ _That's strange, normally the maid makes sure that all the lights are turned off,'_ thought Videl as she peered her head in through the slightly open door. It was their mini-home theatre room and almost unsurprisingly her father was sprawled out across the couch, a glass of scotch on the table to the side.

As the teenager made her way towards her father, the only illumination in the room being that of the movie that was being projected onto the screen, she paused. Drool had fallen all across his chin.

With a look of disgust upon her face, Videl reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a blue striped handkerchief. While she and her father occasionally disagreed on a few things, they had always been somewhat close - losing a parent normally meant that you ended up bonding with the other. She proceeded to wipe the drool off his face before scrunching up the handkerchief and tossing it on the couch.

He didn't even stir.

Videl brow furrowed as her heart began to race, the girl trying to shake her father awake. There was no response. With an air of panicked desperation about her, she lifted her father's sleeve upwards and tried to feel for a pulse.

A moment or two passed as Videl tried to understand what was going on. She called his name, tried to check if his chest was still rising and all the other stuff they had taught her in that first aid course she suddenly wished she had paid more attention to, but for once her father was unnervingly silent. She took a moment to make sure that she wasn't dreaming and then the young crimefighter _screamed_.

...

Red and blue flashed at the edges of her vision, but Videl couldn't bring herself to care. A strong hand gently stroked her back, helping a few choked sobs to escape her mouth. She felt sick.

"Videl, please, speak to me," said the butler as he continued to comfort the young girl. "What happened? What did you see?"

She tried to respond, but all that came out was an incoherent mix of slurred words. He couldn't be gone.

"It'll be alright, I promise," he tried to get her to relax, but Videl knew that it wasn't true.

It wasn't going to be. Her father was dead.

"Please, we need to know exactly what happened for the police report. I know this is hard on you, but it's very important," said the butler. Videl didn't know him that well but he'd been around for more than a few years and was pretty close to her father. "I don't want to give you false hope, but we need to know what triggered this."

"I found him in the home theater with spit all over his face," Videl sniffed as she tried to pull herself together. Maybe this was just some kind of horrible nightmare? "I cleaned it off his face, but then I realised it didn't look like he was breathing… a-and t-then I…"

"Couldn't feel a pulse?" the butler finished for her.

Videl nodded slowly, pulling the blanket that the butler had draped over her body further to shield her further from the cold.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright," the butler tried to keep the young girl calm. "I'm going to try and get in touch with Erasa and her parents to see if they can't keep you company in the meanwhile."

The girl gave no indication that she had heard anything the man said, other than the downwards movement of her red, blurry eyes. She wasn't sure if she was crying or not, she hadn't truly _cried_ in a very long time, but one thing was certain: she wanted to wake up from this twisted hallucination right now.

…

Videl hated wearing black. Videl hated the rain. And she certainly hated everything that had occurred over the last few days.

The priest said a few words as a swarm of people surrounded her father's grave. She didn't even know a quarter of the people there, but that didn't stop every second person from coming up and expressing their grievances.

Erasa's family had come over with haste the night she had found her father dead. Her dad managed to push their flight back a few days and as such they were due to leave the following afternoon. It went without saying that they had extended an invitation for her to come on vacation with them; an offer that Videl wasn't sure if she could refuse.

At the same time running away from everything and going to another country didn't feel _right_. She felt broken, filled to the brim with despair and while she was sure that some sunny weather would help her feel better, Videl didn't think she could lie to herself and pretend that everything was still okay.

 _"_ _Who's going to take her in now?"_

 _"_ _I'd love to adopt her, she's such a sweet girl!"_

 _"_ _I hear that she doesn't want to be adopted…"_

 _"_ _Apparently her mother's estranged half brother is going to take custody of her…"_

The whispers were everywhere. No matter where Videl went, the quiet voices of people who thought that she couldn't hear them made the hairs on her body stand up on end. Where was she meant to go? What was she meant to do?

"You look a little lost."

Videl turned around to face the voice, her still eyes red and bleary from a lack of sleep and spending the previous night crying her heart out. "Who are you?"

"I take it you don't get out too much then," said a beautiful blue haired woman. Her skin was so flawless and well cared for that Videl could only imagine that she had spent hours upon hours applying beauty products to it in order to preserve it for while her body seemed worthy of a beer commercial, her turquoise irises held a certain aged shade that spoke of wisdom. "The name's Bulma."

Videl's eyes narrowed as she put the name, the face and the hair together. _'No… it can't be.'_

"But that's not very important," said Bulma with a comforting smile. "You've been through a lot the last few days, haven't you?"

Videl nodded. She hated appearing so weak but at the moment, the only thing she felt was useless. "I know you, you worked with my dad for some stuff."

"You've grown a little in the past few years," the woman continued, almost as though she were ignoring her. "I bet it all feels a little surreal to you."

"Of course it does!" Videl snapped. "My father's gone and everyone arou-"

"Well, I had expected you to have a temper," sighed Bulma. "Hey, don't look so glum kiddo. I know it feels like your world is collapsing upon itself but believe me when I say that this isn't the end of the world."

"It might as well be," said Videl, not caring if she created a scene anymore. "Just leave me alone!"

"I could, but if I did, no-one here would," said Bulma as she raised a finger to her chin. "It seems to me like you could use a bit of a break from all this."

"No kidding," said Videl, suddenly remembering to take in that Bulma _Briefs_ was standing before her.

"You seem like a nice enough kid, why don't you crash at my place for a few days?"

Videl almost shot the offer down. Then she thought of Erasa and her family and how she didn't really want to ruin their vacation plans yet again. That and running off to another continent didn't sound like it would help her much. She wasn't sure if another person's place was any better but, Videl reasoned that it was only going to be a few days.

"You don't have to," said Bulma quickly. "I mean I know how much it can hurt to _be_ pitied, nevermind while you're trying to deal with such a tragedy, but having all these people gawk at you while you try and grieve sounds like a hell of its own."

Videl stared at the woman quizzically. Her tone was far firmer, far more aggressive than she had intended it to be. "You don't know what it's like. Both of your parents are still alive… I'm an orphan now."

"You're right," she admitted without much hesitation. "I don't know what it's like. But I do know the pain of loss and the emptiness it can leave you with."

The teenage crimefighter had half a mind to tell the woman that having to bury your cutesy puppy in fourth grade was nothing like prodding your father's corpse but she managed to school herself in time.

"You don't believe me," said Bulma as she gestured for Videl to take a seat. People were looking at the two of them with interest, but there seemed to be a gap - five or so metres in radius - that no-one attempted to breach.

"Am I supposed to?"

"It was a friend of mine, my closest one," said Bulma, her voice teetering on the edge of discomfort. "I'd known him since I was about sixteen and casual remark I made to him one day led to him deciding to throw his life away."

Videl could tell by Bulma's body language that that wasn't the whole story, but the CEO seemed to blame herself anyway. It was odd, the professionalism with which she referred to death… _'throw his life away'_ , that almost sounded like some junkie who had wasted his life as opposed to someone who had supposedly killed themselves.

"You can continue to try and push it to the back of your mind," advised Bulma, "but it will linger in the background, no matter what you do. Believe me when I say the sooner you come to grips with it, the sooner this will all stop feeling like some horrible dream that you can't wake up from."

"And so going on a tour of Capsule Corp. is magically meant to make me come to grips with that?"

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" asked Bulma. "Well, it's just an offer that's on the table. I didn't know your father particularly well, but I feel like I owe it to him to keep a good kid like you away from all these vultures. Even if it's just for a moment."

"Sure," said Videl through clenched teeth. "I'll let you know."

…

The sun - or, at least, whatever little of it that still in the bleak sky - began to set before Videl's first tears splashed onto the tombstone in front of her. Even still, the girl did not begin to budge.

She felt like saying something to her father or asking why he had to leave her all alone, like they always did in the movies, but decided against it. As sad as Videl was, she still couldn't force herself to come to terms with what was in front of her. She didn't know what she was meant to do next, whether to go home and lock herself in her room and pretend that nothing had happened or to let everyone around her know what she really thought of their presence and inability to leave her alone. There were people following her, eyes that seemed to be drawn towards her by some mysterious magnetic force, no matter where she went. The cameras were easy enough to lose, but the people added another layer of discomfort to the situation: they had stopped approaching her and started clinging to her.

She had just enough space to swing both her fists out - she had contemplated doing so already on a few occasions - but felt so constrained that she was unable to ignore the feelings of claustrophobia and vulnerability that came with her torment. It was even scarier to think that the one thing that made her want to drop to the floor and bawl her eyes was not an evil, well-cultured fighter but a collection of haunting figures that she could not place a face to. She was starting to feel weak; her stomach was begging for nourishment but she ignored it for the umpteenth time.

"Hey, Videl!"

Erasa's bubbly voice, sounding as smooth as honey, was a welcome reprieve for Videl's tortured ears. It was a much-needed change from the sound of the howling wind and muted conversations that were taking place in the background.

"You don't look so good," said Erasa as she walked up to her friend, placing an arm over her shoulder. "Let's get you out of here, it's starting to get dark."

Videl found herself being yanked away from her dad's tombstone by Erasa's particularly firm grip, through what could only be described as a few minor hordes of people. There was a stage set up in the distance where some suits had given a few cookie-cutter speeches about her dad, and in that moment with Erasa by her side Videl felt as though she'd be able to step up in front of the countless anonymous faces in front of her and give her dad the speech he deserved.

She didn't, of course, because that invited the possibility of breaking down in front of thousands of people on a televised broadcast. And Videl Satan didn't break down. Not even if her dad was dead.

"You've got to get a hold of yourself, Vi," said Erasa, trying to comfort her friend. "I remember when my grandparents died in that car crash a few years ago, it wouldn't stop playing on my mind. I would think that I had gotten over it but then five minutes later, I'd feel like balling my eyes out."

Videl just nodded a little. She wasn't confident of her ability to respond to the girl without breaking down but somehow, Erasa understood that and suddenly the blonde stopped and extended her arm to the teenaged crimefighter's shoulder.

"I know this is asking the impossible but you need to try and think of something else - obviously, you can't ignore this," said Erasa as she gestured to their surroundings, "but it feels a lot better as a lingering thought pushing down on your chest than a tsunami that doesn't stop hitting you."

"I guess," said Videl. It was a strange thing feeling so shaken and the black-haired teen definitely didn't like it.

"Why don't you try and think about summer?" asked Erasa. "You need some plans now, there's no way I'm going to let you sit and mope in your house for the next two months. Why don't you come over to the little holiday island we're visiting? The scenery there is going to be breathtaking."

Though Videl's face seemed impassive, she was weighing up her options. Erasa was now the closest thing she had to family - her father had, like her, been an only child and was on his way up to his parents in heaven and she didn't know anyone from her mother's side - and she was sure that if she voiced her concerns about intruding on their family time, the blonde would actually consider slapping her for saying something so stupid.

There was also the fact that she didn't have it in her to break down in front of Erasa. They were close, Erasa was her only real friend, but not _that_ close and it was bound to feel awkward squished in a car with Erasa's two brothers - one younger and one older - as they travelled to the airport. Videl didn't even think she knew their names.

On the other hand, staying at her own place, while something that she knew she could handle, wasn't an amazing choice either. Her stomach curled a little bit as she thought about whether the smell of her father's corpse had dissipated by now or how strange it would be to fetch the first aid kit kept in his study by herself the next time she had a scrape that needed to be bandaged up. The house wasn't empty, there was the cook, their butler and a few others amongst all the people that maintained their grounds but their interaction with the Satans had always been strictly professional.

Then there was also that extremely unprecedented offer that Bulma Briefs had made. She seemed nice enough for someone that had probably been spoiled growing up even by _Videl's_ standards, but she knew even less about the woman and her family than she did Erasa's brothers. At the very least, the offer was only for a few days so she wouldn't have to feel too guilty about ruining a holiday that Erasa's family had spent the last few years saving up for. It also wasn't a formality because there was no expectation that the CEO offered to look after her for a few days, unlike Erasa's dad.

She also supposed that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Bulma around for the next few days as things like her father's will and her own situation were sorted out. Videl wasn't the most studious of kids, and even then the bookworms in her class wouldn't know what to do in such a situation. Normally, such a responsibility wouldn't even fall upon someone her age but Videl was too jaded to believe that the world wouldn't try and squeeze every last penny of her father's fortune while it was there for the taking.

"Actually, Bulma Briefs actually offered to let me stay at Capsule Corp. for a few days while I try and come to grips with this whole thing," said Videl, suddenly snapping out of her silent trance. "I think it might be best if I sit this one out, 'Rasa."

"Oh," said Erasa, trying to be supportive of her friend's wishes but at the same time clearly disappointed that the pair of them wouldn't be able to build massive bonfires in bikinis on the beach. "I guess that kinda makes sense. Capsule Corp's absolutely gigantic, we went there on a field trip once."

"Plus one of her close friends died a few years ago, so she's probably not clueless about how I should try and move forward." Videl wasn't the type to keep many friends and even though her father was… well her father, he had still definitely been one of the people she was closest to.

"If you're sure about it, I think it'd be a great idea," said Erasa before brightening up. "And I'm going to call you twice a day to make sure you don't get bored. And also, you're free to join us at any time over the next two months, seriously."

"Thanks," said Videl appreciatively. "It means a lot."

"Anytime," said Erasa as she hugged her friend.

…

The next day, Videl packed her bags and headed to the Capsule Corporation. In the last six months or so of owning a jet-copter, it was easily the longest journey she had ever flown but that was hardly comparable to the time she'd had to wrestle her way out of a thug's headlock as he repeatedly rammed her head against a wall.

She found herself standing in front of a gate that was, at least, three times bigger than her own. Not too bothered by the elegancies that she could already see through the gate, she pressed the intercom. It buzzed after a moment or two.

 _"_ _Come right in,"_ a voice that was most definitely not Bulma Briefs said, emanating from the small speaker embedded into the intercom. _"Mrs. Briefs said she was expecting you."_

Videl paused for a moment. She hadn't bothered to call ahead, mostly because she obviously didn't have the phone number of the wealthiest woman alive, so it rubbed Videl the wrong way a little to know that the woman was so arrogant that she had expected Videl to come over after a small five-minute chat. She didn't mull over it too much because, she supposed, she was standing in front of the gates of Capsule Corp. after all.

Their front yard was about what Videl had expected. Well, the term 'front yard' was very loosely applicable to the small grassland that ran along the circumference of the building but for Videl, it was close enough. Her own front yard was probably a little bigger but Videl figured that real estate in West City, a hub for technological innovation and the like, was a little harder to come by than in Satan City which didn't have much going for it with crime rates that had been on a steady incline for the past two and a half years.

She stepped onto her tippy toes and pressed the doorbell, just barely able to reach the button. A few moments later, the front door swung open.

"Come right in! The Briefs are enjoying breakfast in the kitchen," said their butler… only it was a robot. A freaking robot. A levitating, spherical ball of metal that had a head and small little pincers that could pass for hands.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked the robo-butler as it extended its tiny little hands, offering to carry the several bags weighing down upon the palms of her black, fingerless gloves. She complied. "Follow me."

And so Videl did, dragging her feet in an effort to not feel too awed by the gigantic household that most definitely put hers to shame, as the butler led her towards where, presumably, the latest Briefs family meeting was taking place.

Its wheels… or erm whatever it was using to stay afloat and accelerate whirred after a little while as they came to a stop outside the kitchen. It gestured with a pincer before disappearing and leaving Videl to face arguably the world's most reclusive famous family with nothing but the clothes on her back and the small pack strapped to her shoulders.

Videl wasn't the type of person that normally got nervous but her step had a small quiver in it as she stepped forward, into the kitchen that was surely large enough to carry the same volume of water as three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The first thing she saw was the blue-haired woman she had run into the other day, trying fruitlessly to reprimand a small silver haired child who was digging into what was, at least, a four-course meal for breakfast. She could count three servings of omelet, cereal, steak, toast and possibly noodles.

Suddenly, she began to worry that the next twenty-four hours would be very, very eccentric. And maybe not in a good way. She didn't have time to mull on the thought, however, as the room's billionaire spotted her and dashed over to the amateur crimefighter with a grin. She tugged at the teenager's arm with a grip made of steel before dragging her to her son.

"Glad to see you made it, Videl. This is my son, Trunks," said Bulma as she gestured towards the silver haired child. There was no way he was older than five years old. "And this, Trunks, is the pretty little lady I told you about who is going to stay with us for a little while. She's had a rough couple of days so make sure to treat her right or I'll give your entire allowance to Goten for the rest of the month."

He gulped, making sure to swallow the mixture of several, contrasting foods, before speaking. "Hi… Videl, it's nice to meet you."

She chuckled, bending down to his level in order to pinch his cheek. "Oh, aren't you the cutest little thing."

"Don't call me cute!" He pouted immediately, crossing his arms over his chest with practised ease.

"Likewise," she said with a grin, ruffling his silver hair before popping back up to meet Bulma's gaze. "I didn't know you had a son, Mrs. Briefs."

"I see you don't indulge in delicacies that make up the celebrity gossip network, Ms. Satan," said Bulma with a grin. Inwardly, Videl noted that it would probably be a good idea to stick to first names with the woman. "Anyway, my husband's up to… god only knows what in that chamber of his, so allow me to show you to your room so that you can get that backpack off your shoulders. God knows your shoulders must be starting to ache."

Trunks snickered for some reason as Videl stammered. "Oh no, it's completely fine. Your… butler already took most of my bags off me so this is nothing."

Bulma started to chuckle too. "That hunk of scrap metal wasn't a butler, more of a robotic slave that'll be lucky to see it past two weeks old with my husband's temper." She eyed her child's plate before whacking herself on the forehead. "Oh my, you must be starving. I'll get something whipped up in the meanwhile. What's your poison?"

It took Videl a moment to comprehend that she was being asked what she would like to eat for breakfast. "Uhh… toast, I guess?"

"Simple, I like it," said Bulma before snapping her fingers twice to summon another _robotic slave_. "Make some toast for this young lady."

"Can I have some pizza too?" asked Trunks, somehow managing to speak coherently despite the mouthful of food he was simultaneously chewing on. "I'm dying for some meat lovers…" He drooled in the way that only an adorable little five-year-old food-a-holic could.

"You're not having pizza for breakfast," deadpanned Bulma with a decisively firm shake of her head. "Follow me, Videl."

"He sure eats a lot," said Videl, catching up to the woman after she spent a moment staring incredulously at the heels the woman was wearing. Videl was short and thus, normally, a prime candidate for that kind of footwear but she had never been able to understand the impracticability of it.

"Oh trust me, he doesn't have anything on his father," said Bulma with a mischievous grin. "Speaking of which… I don't know how to put this but don't speak to Vegeta when he's either working out or eating. He's hard to approach normally, but he's even worse when he's focussed on two of three great passions in this world."

Videl blanched, not even daring to ask what the third one was - Bulma's face gave her a pretty good idea. "So he's some kind of a martial artist?" A decent fight after the turmoil of the past week and a half, which she was doing her best to forget about except during her most intimate and private moments, would be just what the doctor ordered.

Bulma stopped momentarily, prompting Videl to do the same. "Oh, honey, you have no idea."

...

 **Happy New Years. Let me know what you thought and - since this a side project that hasn't yet been plotted out extensively - if there's anything you'd like to see in this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

"So are you trying to say that he's strong or something?" asked Videl as she stared at the woman in confusion. "I mean I'm not really at the level that my dad was but I don't think I'm that far off, personally."

"I've surrounded myself with a crowd of martial artists since I was about your age. Maybe a little older," said Bulma, ignoring the girl. "They participated in several World Martial Arts tournaments and were quite successful - in fact, at the time, I was really close friends with three of the winners - but the point is that Vegeta could probably twirl most of them around with his pinky finger."

"That must have been before the new regulation committee came in, though," explained Videl. "Back then, all kinds of stuff was fair game. People snuck in jetpacks, bombs, all kinds of things - hell, even the stage was completely blown to bits _twice_! Ever since they reopened the tournament, it's been a little more focussed on pure martial arts."

"Just because the more traditional roots have been abandoned and the rules have changed so that talking animals with wings can no longer enter doesn't mean that the current state of martial arts is any better than the old one," shrugged Bulma. "But then again, I don't really know much about it. As you can probably figure, I've never been much of a fighter."

Videl was about to make some kind of retort but the blue haired woman spoke up again before she could.

"Here we are," said Bulma, stepping to the right and opening a door. She gestured for Videl to follow her in. "I'm not sure if this place is cut from the finest cloth in terms of quality, especially compared to what you might be used to, but I hope it'll be enough. It's an ensuite, so there's a tub and a shower in the attached bathroom and there should also be a small walk-in wardrobe for you to keep all your clothes."

She was right. There weren't any silk curtains and there wasn't any fancy marble flooring but it was quite spacious. She noticed that the lights automatically turned on when the duo stepped inside and that the CEO's _robo slave_ had neatly piled her bags into the corner of the room. What she had seen of the building, and her room, seemed aptly fitting for Capsule Corp. - efficient and technologically innovative. She hadn't really run into any wasted luxuries that weren't intrinsically connected to what she imagined were Bulma's mad science experiments but then again, who would waste money padding out a guest room with door knobs made of pure gold?

"I'd normally let you get acquainted with this place and probably suggest you have a nice, warm soak in the tub to ease your mind but I don't think you'll enjoy your toast rock hard and cold. And also, knowing Trunks, he's probably trying to scare one of my bots into whipping him up a pizza topped with chocolate and ice cream," she held a hand up to her forehead as she sighed. "I'll definitely show you around after I make sure I don't have to spend the next half an hour scouring the dining room for scattered nuts and bolts."

Videl laughed a bit before taking the initiative and walking out of the room. She looked around the hallway a little, noting that there were many doors just like the one to her own room. Were they all guest bedrooms? She could already count at least twenty of them. "It sounds like you've got a handful to deal with besides just running your company."

"The company part is the easy bit," said Bulma with a grin. "I normally get my dad to attend all the meetings on my behalf and since he dawdles on forever when he talks, the board are normally scared to even hold meetings. Sadly, I still have to meet with them a couple times a month, but for the most bit, I'm normally screwing around in one of my labs or rewarding my pretty little head for all the hard work it does."

"Really?" asked Videl, a little surprised. "Dad was trying to get his own company to take off before…" she gulped, and Bulma placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He was trying to kinda move away from just being a martial artist and transition towards being a public figure or some kind of businessman. It was a lot of hard work."

"I wouldn't know much about that to be entirely honest," said Bulma, guiding Videl back to the dining hall without releasing her grip on the younger girl's shoulder. "You see, my dad had already turned Capsule Corp. into one of the world's biggest companies before I could even crawl."

"I'll bet, capsule technology is up there with the invention of the wheel," said Videl, making no attempt to hide her amazement. Bulma seemed to have a bit of an ego about her, but at least it was well warranted. "So… those three friends of yours who won those World Martial Arts titles… what were their names?"

"Well there was Jackie Chun, Tien Shinhan and Son Goku," said Bulma, after a moment's hesitation. "And that's in ascending order of how well I knew each of them. Jackie was pretty much just an old creep, a strong one but a creep nonetheless. Tien essentially became the best friend of my ex-boyfriend and Goku… was my best friend."

Videl looked away. It didn't really take a genius to figure out that this Goku guy was the friend Bulma had told her about the other day, the one who had supposedly killed himself because of something Bulma had said. And Videl really didn't want to latch onto the blue haired woman's words because if talking about him hurt anywhere near as much as it did when someone talked to her about her father, it wasn't a good idea to reopen old wounds. "I think I've heard of all of them before, especially Tien. Apparently the martial arts school he came from was full of mercenaries."

"You could say that," chuckled Bulma, seemingly unaffected by having to mention her late best friend. Maybe Videl was just being silly, she was years older than Videl was and had probably learned to cope with the pain. "He's a completely different person these days, though. It's important to give people second chances."

The woman's tone indicated that was a story for another day and so Videl didn't press it. They didn't speak much until they arrived back to the dining room where, incredulously, Trunks was now making his way through a plate of pancakes drenched in syrup and chocolate sauce.

A single plate with five pieces of toast laid untouched at the other end of the table.

"Uhh… I don't really know if I'll be able to eat that much toast, Bulma," said Videl, attempting not to stare at the five-year-old making his way through food like a wild animal. There was an assortment of different spreads too - jam, butter, margarine and what was probably some low-fat canola oil.

"Don't worry about it, just eat as much as you feel you can. Stupid robots probably need to be calibrated again. They're used to pandering to the ridiculous appetites of my husband and my son," said Bulma, sitting down to the right of Videl's chair.

She took the cue and followed Bulma's lead, opting to spread the butter over only a single piece of toast.

"So has anyone mentioned anything to you about your father's will?" asked Bulma, trying to stir up conversation more than anything else. "I know the whole legal process can sound really complicated but it's important to get it right."

"No, I think dad's lawyer had a conversation with our butler, though," said Videl as she frowned. "I don't really know either of them very well."

"Why don't you allow me to reach out and see what I can find out?" asked Bulma. "I've had to go through this process once before with a kid even younger than you… granted his father wasn't exactly Hercule Satan. I'm actually stuck with this other project I'm working on and I wouldn't mind an opportunity to procrastinate."

Videl blinked. "Uhh sure?" she shrugged, taking a bite out of her toast because she wasn't sure what else to say. "I don't even really know where to start with anything. I can't imagine what I'd even do with everything dad owned."

Noting that the younger girl looked a little choked up, Bulma did her best to smile warmly. "It's pretty likely that you won't be able to access most of it until you're an adult. Even then, I'd say the best thing to do with whatever you do obtain is to leave it locked up in a distant account. Withdraw enough to live comfortably, sure, but I've seen too many youngsters waste away after coming into a large sum of money."

"That makes sense." Videl nodded. "So does this get any better? This pit in my stomach, I mean. It kinda feels like the world is closing in on me."

"Not really," said Bulma bluntly. "But after a while, those walls feel like they're pushing towards you less frequently and with less force. I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to helping others through grief, so once you're ready I'm going to fly you out to see the best psychiatrist in West City."

Being a child who had grown up in the lap of luxury, Videl was often forced to express her gratitude by the societal conventions which surrounded her.

"Thanks".

This was one of the times she actually meant it.

…

"And this here is my crown jewel, the Gravity Machine," said Bulma with a grin wider than Trunks when he was tearing into a mountainside of food half an hour ago. "My dad was responsible for the initial prototype and everything but the improvements I managed to make to it are just shy of well… impossible."

"What does it do?" asked Videl. She would take anything to get her mind off the weight that was still doing its foremost to crush her. "Sounds like something you might use to try and simulate what living in space will be like."

"You're not far off but at the same time, you couldn't be more wrong," said Bulma, her expression not fading, as she invited Videl to step inside.

What awaited the duo was an egg-shaped room that had one of the highest ceilings Videl had ever laid eyes upon. In the centre was what appeared to be a command console but for what Videl did not exactly know.

"Say, you're in decent physical condition for a girl your age, right?" asked Bulma out of the blue.

Videl blinked. "Uhh, I guess you could say that. I've won a few junior martial arts titles for whatever that's worth."

"Good," said the blue-haired woman as she walked up to the console and pressed a few buttons. "Your safety is more important than my ego. You might want to brace yourself, though."

The confused teenager made she had steady footing but she was still unprepared for the sudden excess force that exerted itself upon her body. One second she was standing still, unsure what exactly the CEO had in store for her and then the next she was doing her utmost to prevent herself from dropping to the floor. Videl clenched her fists and fought against the pull - or was it push? - of what she was now certain was an artificial gravity machine.

"Assuming you have a mass of about 45 kilos, you're now experiencing an extra 225 newtons of pulling down on you," said Bulma and Videl couldn't help but suddenly recall a physics lesson where her teacher had stressed that kilograms were a measure of mass, _not_ weight. "In other words, you are now experiencing one and a half times the Earth's gravitational force."

Videl was sure she would have more time to feel amazed if the majority of her attention wasn't already on just trying to remain upright. Bulma, for her part, didn't look to be standing very steadily - there was a telling quake of her legs every now and then - but it was evident that the woman had done this before. "So what do you use this for?"

"Me? I mostly just like to use it to show off," said Bulma with an infectious laugh. She was conceited and yet that didn't seem to be that big of a character flaw for the billionaire. "My husband, on the other hand, uses it as a way to put all that testosterone of his to good use and work off steam. Training under a stronger gravitational force makes for a really good way to stay fit or put on some muscles."

"I'll bet," said Videl, gritting her teeth. Thankfully, she didn't have to bear the extra burden of half her weight for much longer because Bulma seemed to be struggling too. A moment or two later her father's friend turned it off.

"Leaving so soon?"

Videl craned her head around to the exit. A stocky man with well-defined muscles and a flame-like haircut stood defiantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Bulma sighed. "I was just showing Videl here _my_ gravity machine."

"Oh really?" he asked in an amused tone and then suddenly he _vanished_. "Allow me." Before Videl could even tell what was happening, the artificial force roared back to life with a vengeance and Videl found her cheek pressed against the mopped floor of the room.

It took almost all of her effort to so much as twitch.

Bulma too was lying down on the floor, but she was just able to keep her upper body off the floor by placing her forearms down beneath her in a prone hold. Clearly, she had done this before, because even though the woman was almost three times her age, Videl imagined that her own body was much stronger. Unless the woman secretly fought crime in her spare time.

Thankfully her eyes were facing the right way so she could watch the exchange that followed take place with her own eyes.

"You _jerk_!" Bulma exclaimed. "If you don't turn that down right away, I'll reverse the polarity of _my_ machine and make it so that the closest you'll get to training under high gravity will be an entire solar system away."

The force weighing down upon her came to a swift stop. The man, who was evidently Bulma's mysterious husband, scoffed before examining Videl. Videl couldn't help but shudder at the sinister vibe he gave off. It was almost as though he was trying to evaluate her entire worth with one intense glance.

"I see you followed through with that idea of yours," he said, turning back to Bulma with a smirk on his face. "I'll let you two be for the time being but in ten minutes I'll be using _my_ machine whether the two of you are still in it or not. And trust me, little girl, I can hardly feel the difference between regular gravity and three times so you'll be in for a _world_ of hurt if you stick around." With that, he left almost as quick as he came.

Bulma glowered, pushing herself up to her feet and dusting herself off. "The nerve of that man!" Her head swiveled to Videl before her expression softened. "I'm sorry you had to experience that. I hoped you'd at least see the afternoon through before my husband made an ass out of himself."

"He seems like an interesting guy," said Videl as she rolled over onto her back, panting again. She felt so weightless, so liberated now that the gravity machine was no longer on.

"Sometimes I wonder why I put up with him," admitted Bulma before she made her way over to the girl and offered her a hand. "I better get you out of here before his highness shows his smug face again. I'm sure you've seen enough of this place already."

…

"Hey, do you know how to play games?" asked Trunks as he gestured towards the sixty-inch screen mounted on the wall. It took Videl a moment to realise that he was playing a soccer game of some sort. "I know you're a girl so you're not going to be that good but you've got to be better than my mum at least."

Videl screwed up her face. Her usual response to a sexist comment was to jab the perpetrator in the gut but somehow between Trunks' age and his father who may or may not have dabbled with steroids she didn't think that would go down well. "Sure. Just don't complain when I send you crying to your daddy."

The boy seethed at that comment and flung a controller to Videl. Faster than she would have thought possible, he had navigated to the team selection screen. "I'm going to choose the West City Warriors. I could have gone with Central City but my mum says it's rude to not show mercy."

"I guess I'll go with the Orange Bandits then," shrugged Videl. She didn't play video games that often and she didn't actively follow soccer but it wasn't the first time that she'd played as that team.

After Trunks spent a moment or two fine-tuning his team selection - and for some reason altering the time of day in the game - Videl found her own team with the kick off for the half. Once she figured out how to pass it, she tried dribbling towards goal which what she presumed was her striker.

Bulma had left not twenty minutes prior, remarking that her inventions weren't going to invent themselves and Videl had spent much of it staring blankly at a wall. Normally, such circumstances would have prompted any teenager to pull out their phone but that was _flooded_ with reminders of her late father. She had an uncountable amount of texts and the event seemed to have only blown up even further on social media over the last two days.

Eventually focussing her attention back to the task at hand, she managed to score a goal at the second time of asking. Even though she wasn't looking at the boy, she could _feel_ his eyes widening in disbelief.

"You were just lucky, I always beat Goten when we play."

Videl had no time to ponder who this infamous 'Goten' was because as soon as Trunks' team kicked off, she stole the ball from him and proceeded to score immediately after running half the pitch and straight through his defence.

The game continued in similar fashion for another five minutes and Videl began to feel a little bad when she watched Trunks' lip quiver as she scored her fifth goal. She decided to take it a little bit easier on him from then on.

When the match finally came to a conclusion, Videl turned to the child. "So do you still think girls aren't _that_ good?"

"You're different," he said, somewhere between feeling awed and wanting to cry.

Videl supposed she could live with that. She was tempted to push for a proper apology but figured that was about as good as she was going to get from a spoiled little boy. "Be careful, I might still give you the cooties if you get too close."

She grinned and he returned it before straightening up. "Hey, do you want to play another game?"

Videl shrugged.

This time, she went easier on Trunks. He seemed to believe that his best chance of scoring a goal was trying to dribble with one of his defenders and shooting from thirty yards out but Videl didn't question it. She let him have an easy goal, and then after a minute or two went out and got herself another one.

In the dying embers of the match, she purposely brought her goalkeeper out too far from the goal and allowed the purple-haired boy to score with ease thanks to the empty net. If anyone other than the Briefs and all their robotic servants lived in Capsule Corp. then Videl might have been half-afraid Trunks' cheers had alarmed someone.

"See I knew you were just all talk," he taunted. "This proves it! That first game was…"

He trailed off, sadly coming to the realisation that Videl had thrown the match when he saw her expression. "You lost on purpose…"

"I'm ten years older than you," said Videl diplomatically. "It doesn't matter if I'm wearing skirts or pants, I'll be able to beat you at most things until you're a little older."

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, my daddy says I'm the Prince of all Saiyans. That means I'm better than you and that you did exactly what you should have by showing respect to your better."

Videl rolled her eyes and gave him a noogie. He was rolling on the floor in laughter after a few seconds.

…

The next morning, Bulma tugged on Videl's sheets and gently shook the girl like she normally did with Trunks.

"Videl, honey," said Bulma, "I did some digging and I met with your buttler. It turns out that your father left almost everything in his possession to you."

Videl sat up on the bed, rubbing at her eyes as she tried to gather her bearings. "What does that mean?"

"The family home - or mansion, I suppose - is yours to do what you please with and you will have access to most of his money when you legally become an adult. He did leave you with a fortnightly stipend which should look after you, though," explained Bulma. "I've arranged for someone who knows a lot more about this place than I do to meet us over at your place. You can leave your bags here if you'd like, and we can go over after breakfast and have this discussion properly."

Two omelettes, a shower and a cross-country jet-copter trip later, Videl was back standing in front the gates that she was sure would haunt her dreams for years to come. She had company in the form of Bulma this time though, and even though the woman was a fair bit older than Videl, her presence was very welcome.

The mansion was eerily quiet and while they waited for Bulma's lawyer to show up, Videl gave her a quick tour of her place in a role-reversal of the previous morning. She stayed far away from the miniature home cinema that her father had insisted on including when he had commissioned a brand new mansion all those years ago.

Eventually, he arrived.

"His personal assets will either all be donated to charity or given to you once you reach the appropriate age. You will receive a small allowance for the next few years regardless of whether an appropriate foster home is found for you - he was very clear about that - but you will come into the majority of his wealth when you are twenty-one," the lawyer explained. "His company's board of directors will elect someone else to take his place in the coming weeks and proceed with whatever direction they decide to now take your father's company in. You have no legal affiliation with the company, so you will not have a say in that direction unless you decide to fight it out in court."

"And I get to keep this place?" asked Videl as she gestured to the building housing the trio.

"And every personal belonging of his, except for the ones that he left specific instructions for," said the lawyer. "It's quite overwhelming but being Hercule's only next of kin leaves you in a much less stressful position than some of the others I've had to help."

"There's also the matter of Videl herself," said Bulma. "What are her options?"

"She has three options. She could nominate some foster parents, the state could search for some themselves while temporarily placing her in an orphanage or she could push for emancipation," said the lawyer. "That last one is pretty unlikely, though. With your influence, Mrs. Briefs, and Videl's own celebrity status, the court could make an exception but I think the first option is your best bet."

"I don't think I'd really be comfortable staying anywhere except with Erasa," said Videl as she screwed up her face. "Even then, I'm a little scared of that too."

Bulma placed a comforting hand around Videl's back. "That's only natural, sweetie. This is a horrible situation and none of the answers are easy. I could find the best orphanage in the world for you that'll make sure you find amazing foster parents."

Videl shrugged and the lawyer took his leave a few minutes afterwards.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on you, Videl," said Bulma suddenly as she stopped tapping her nails on the kitchen table. "And you're most definitely welcome to stay with us at Capsule Corp. on a more permanent basis if my husband and son haven't already frightened you away. I promise you I won't start asking you to call me 'mum' anytime soon but either way, you need to weigh up your options."

…

"I never really knew my mum," said Videl, opening up unexpectedly. They were back at Capsule Corp. now and Videl was unloading a few extra sets of clothes that she had brought along. Bulma had assured her that there was still no rush and that she might as well have her own stuff to wear while she thought things through. "I saw a picture of her once or twice. She was really beautiful."

Bulma took Videl's hand and guided her to the bed, wordlessly instructing the girl to sit down with her.

"Dad said she was a singer but that's about all he ever told me about her," said Videl. "I never did push it because I could see that it hurt him to talk about her to me… but now that he's gone too, I wish I did."

Bulma smiled at Videl. "I can see that you're not entirely comfortable with the idea of staying in that mansion by yourself or staying in an orphanage. That leaves you with the option of either staying with your friend's family or moving to West City and I can see that's not an easy decision either. But remember, it doesn't have to be one or the other."

Videl raised an eyebrow.

"You could always go over to live with your friends if Trunks starts grabbing a hold of your hair," explained Bulma. "And vice-versa too. My door's always open, goodness knows that we've got enough space in Capsule Corp. to house a thousand more people nevermind just the one."

"My friend - Erasa - she's actually on vacation with her family for most of the summer," said Videl. "And as stupid as it sounds, I don't really want to intrude. I mean a vacation wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but I want to come to terms with this properly instead of trying to give it a half-hearted burial on the beach."

"So why don't you stick with me for the rest of the summer, then? You're obviously welcome to leave at any time before that but this way you can see what life in the best city in the world is like," said Bulma. "If you fit in like I'm thinking you just might, then great. If you don't, you can go and stay with Erasa and try that out."

Videl made up her mind with a nod of her head. "I guess I've never really known what it's like to have a real mother. So I'd like to see what that's like."

"Don't let word of this get out to Trunks but I've always wanted to have a daughter too," said Bulma before embracing the teenager. "Us Briefs might not be the most 'ideal' family but I promise I'll do my best."

…

Vegeta stifled a yawn as he made his way towards the kitchen in the dark. The woman had probably been woken by him as he made his way out of bed to get a midnight snack but nobody ever said that living with a Saiyan who spent the whole day training was easy.

Opening the pantry, he grabbed the first thing he could see and wolfed it down. It tasted like it might have been cereal but he didn't particularly care. Dry cereal was still better than trying to deal with the woman's infernal bots.

He winced a little as he ran his arm across a particularly nasty gash - courtesy of one of her battle bots - before pausing as he sensed an unfamiliar energy signal coming from the other side of the building. Normally, it wasn't all that strange because between the woman's family and employees he picked up on a fair few unfamiliar energy signatures. But random employees and sixty-something-year-old grandparents didn't wander around his gravity chamber at three in the morning.

After traversing the circumference of the building, he couldn't help but smirk when the source of the slight interruption revealed itself. There, at three in the morning, was the girl he had crushed in the chamber the other day. She was struggling to move but it wasn't until he looked at the display next to the machine that his eyebrows peaked in curiosity.

Three and a half times the earth's gravity was a pitifully low amount. But it was a sizeable step-up for someone who had been struggling with less than half of that twenty-four hours ago.

How interesting.

...

 **I received some questions about the pairing of this story. I'm not sure if I'll decide to push the romance side of it, especially since Videl is so young, but the pairing - if there is one - will be Gohan/Videl.**

 **Again, let me know if there are any specific interactions you guys are looking forward to seeing. This isn't shaping up to be the most plot-heavy story in the world with an established antagonist and all that.**


	3. Chapter 3

"No."

"Vegeta, please!"

"Damn it, woman. I'm not going to play nice with a social worker for you," said Vegeta. "Leave me the hell out of this."

"We're married, you stubborn jerk," said Bulma as she stood a little taller in an attempt to tower over her partner. It would have worked if not for his tall hair. "I can't have a social worker over to inspect the household without you and Trunks there too. He might even want to see my parents!"

"Well then, you can either bribe him or I can blast him to pieces," shrugged Vegeta. "It's bad enough that you want to add another mouth to feed at the dining tab-"

" _My_ dining table," Bulma reminded him. "And you agreed to this."

"I agreed because you short circuited the gravity room and sent your mother to follow me around and nag me like a banshee from hell," said Vegeta before crossing his arms with a smirk on his face. "And I only agreed to allow her to stay for a month, not forever."

"It's not forever!" exclaimed Bulma. "Kids these days move out before they even hit their twenties. That's what? Five years? You've hardly even spoken to the girl."

"Do you blame me?" he asked with an amused look.

"She's not her father, okay," said Bulma as she massaged her temples. "If I were my dad, I'd have a weird obsession with keeping a black cat perched on my shoulder."

"I did sense her sneaking around in the gravity chamber last night," said Vegeta diplomatically. "Then again, that buffoon did challenge Cell to a fight."

"I don't recall you doing that at those stupid games," said Bulma, prodding at her husband's ego. "If you play Mr. Vegeta Briefs for a night, I'll allow you to start training the kids."

"What makes you think I need your permission for that, woman?" growled Vegeta. "I'm the Prince of all Sai-"

"Well, then, why haven't you started training Trunks yet?" asked Bulma. "Don't you always go on about Saiyan traditions and how your father started training you to be a warrior as soon as you could walk? Have you, Prince Vegeta, by any chance gone soft?"

Her mocking gasp almost sent him over the edge. He only clenched his fists.

"Why would I want to waste my time training a snivelling, hybrid brat?" countered Vegeta. "I might consider it when he grows a pair but for the moment, he's far too soft to even be half-Saiyan."

"Chichi's been training Goten, y'know," said Bulma. "And she actually used to be a force to be reckoned with back in the day. I wouldn't pit many humans outside of our little gang against her. You've probably accepted that Trunks won't ever catch up to Gohan because of the difference in their respective childhoods but can you stomach that even Goku's second born will grow to be stronger than your own kin?"

Vegeta's grin disappeared and Bulma thought she had emerged the victor in their verbal bout before he snorted. "That harpy is probably going to send him backwards in terms of progress."

"She's a mother of two and a housewife. Before long she's not going to be able to keep up and Gohan might step in," said Bulma. Debating with her husband was always a constant battle of wits. He didn't have her book smarts but he was as cunning a man as she had ever met. "By that point, it'll be too late even if you _do_ decide to train Trunks because Gohan's even stronger than you."

She could tell that she was getting under his skin but he kept his cool except for the withering glare he sent her from the edges of his eyes.

"Damn it, Vegeta!" exclaimed Bulma. "What's it going to take to get you to do this for me? I know you've got a heart somewhere in there! Is your sadistic psychopath persona that important to you that you can't even put it away to help a young girl find a home?"

"I want an explanation," said Vegeta after a moment's deliberation. "Why this girl? Why not any of the other billions of children you could have decided to take in? What makes her so special?"

Bulma looked him in the eye and exhaled deeply. "... Guilt. I feel responsible for her."

"How exactly did your bleeding heart decide to burden itself with a girl that - by your own admission - you hadn't met until a week ago?" asked Vegeta as he examined her as if she were an alien. Well, she supposed, to him she _was_.

"Her father, Hercule Satan, he was a known alcoholic," explained Bulma. "As you know, he claimed responsibility for Cell's demise and the newfound fame and guilt was too much for him to handle. It had been slowly crushing him for years."

"And you know this how?"

"I was in business with him, and obviously before any good businesswoman even thinks about getting in bed with a fraud, she determines exactly what she's dealing with," said Bulma. "I confronted him and told him I knew the truth about everything. He explained how he regretted his decision but that it was too late, that he couldn't bear to tell his motherless daughter that her father was a fraud."

"So how does this admission of guilt lead to you feeling responsible for her again?" asked Vegeta. "By that logic, I should forgive my father for tossing into Frieza's dirty clutches. When you make a moronic decision, the consequences don't go away."

" _We_ could have stopped the Cell Games entirely," said Bulma. "The remote I gave Krillin… if I'd just been a little bit less stupid, I could have extended the range and killed those androids from the other side of the world. And you… if your pride hadn't got in the way, Cell wouldn't have even had the chance to absorb Eighteen."

"Are you kidding me?" asked Vegeta. "Do you want to blame your son because an alternate version of one of his future selves got himself killed and allowed Cell passage to the past?"

"I didn't finish," said Bulma. "When I confronted Hercule, he'd spent the past couple of years badmouthing everyone who showed up to fight Cell that day. Even Goku. I wasn't happy and I told him that he deserved all the regret and newfound pressure that was boxing him in because he was a dirty man who made his living on the back of the sacrifice of the dead man he loved to insult and his son. That he couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain his bullshit caused whenever Chichi turns on the television to watch him gloat with all his money and fame after spending the entire day growing vegetables to sell for a living and raising two boys on her own."

"He stayed in business with you after all that?" asked Vegeta. Even he could feel his curiosity being piqued with his wife's story.

"Yeah, he knew I had him by the balls so he nodded his head and signed endorsements on everything our marketing chief shoved in front of him," said Bulma as her voice cracked a just a little, the only hint of emotion shown by the woman. "The problem is that I think I pinched too hard. Everytime I saw him after that, on T.V. or in person, he was a different man. I'm not sure whether that pushed him over the edge or not but it definitely didn't help. I was grieving and angry with him but I didn't ever think about it all from his perspective. He drank himself to death, Vegeta. How could I possibly not check up on his daughter at his funeral when I might have played a part in that?"

For once, the prince didn't have all that much to say. "She has nowhere else to go? That buf… her father, he didn't have any relatives or friends?"

"There is one family that Videl was considering but I think she just wants to start anew, to leave it all behind her," said Bulma. "The sins of the father aren't her responsibility."

"I suppose I can sympathise with that," said Vegeta, stroking his chin as he showed a delicate side that he would never dare to show anyone but his wife. "She hasn't stepped on my toes yet either."

"No-one's asking you to play daddy with her," said Bulma before rolling her eyes. "It's hard enough to even get you to do that with Trunks."

"Alright, fine, have it your way woman," said Vegeta. "I'll masquerade as a regular, snivelling human for an evening but I expect the brat to show up in my gravity room at 6 a.m. sharp tomorrow. And just so you know this now, when the little girl overstays her welcome and pisses me off, I won't hold back. Not one bit."

…

"Videl, honey, I need a hand in the kitchen. Would you mind?"

Before the girl in question could even respond, she found herself being whisked away by Bulma's mum, a short, blonde woman with a permanent grin plastered on her face. Videl had lacked a female role model in her life for almost as long as she could remember so the past few days had been a bit of a shock, suddenly being thrust into a household where there were two. Especially when one of them kicked ass and took names on a regular basis… at least in a figurative sense.

"I'm afraid with old age my bones have begun to become frail and it's difficult for me to bend over to use the oven," giggled Mrs. Briefs. "You see, Bulma has always lacked the Midas touch in the kitchen so it's very exciting for me to finally teach someone the joy of cooking. Those clunky old robots don't make for good learners, unfortunately."

"Uhh, I don't think I'm much better at mak-"

"Oh, you let me be the judge of that," winked Bunny. "And just between you and me, even if it doesn't turn out great, those boys will wolf down anything without thinking twice."

Eventually, Videl found herself standing in the middle of one of Capsule Corp. gigantic kitchens. There were a few bots waltzing around but none were brave enough to approach the two.

"I've already set the oven to preheat," explained Bunny. "So I'll go and fetch the butter, sugar, and vanilla essence. You can start things off by mixing the flour and baking soda together. Don't forget a pinch of salt too!"

And just like that Mrs. Briefs was gone in a flash. Videl would have figured that the butter and whatnot would be in one of the several pantries that were in the kitchen area but she figured she wasn't in a position to argue since she'd only been here for a few days. Laid out on the benchtop in front of her was a packet of baking soda, a packet of flour and a salt shaker. There were also a few medium-sized bowls and some funny shaped cooking-utensils (Videl had a feeling that one of them was a whisk).

She stood there waiting for several minutes, hoping that Mrs. Briefs would return because even though mixing the items in front of her sounded like a simple task in theory, she had no idea what quantity she needed to use for which ingredient. Well, except for the salt. Finally, she came to the unfortunate conclusion that she would have to rely on her better judgement and hope for the best.

Starting off with the flour, Videl poured half of the already-open packet into one of the bowls. The baking soda soon joined it and the girl began to stir the mixture with the 'whisk'. After doing so for a few moments, she sprinkled a little bit of salt over her concoction.

As if on cue, Bulma's mum returned with several items within her grasp. A few eggs, two packs of sugar, some butter, a box of chocolate chips and a bottle of 'vanilla extract' to be exact. Videl was just glad that it had a label.

"Excellent work," said Mrs. Briefs as she laid everything she was holding out on the bench top. The grandmother grabbed one of the larger bowls and casually poured a little bit from each packet of sugar into it. Videl passed her the butter after she gestured for her to do so frantically and then watched in boredom as the blonde began to beat the ingredients together.

"Maybe you'll enjoy this bit a little more," said Bunny as she offered the whisk to Videl.

Videl shrugged, and complied.

"Now, we add in the eggs and the vanilla extract," said Mrs. Briefs. "I'll let you do the fun bit, so drop in the yolk whenever you're ready."

Videl picked up an egg and crushed it in her right palm, allowing the majority of its contents to drip into the bowl.

"Oh no honey, that's not how you crack an egg," said Mrs. Briefs. "You've got yolk all over your hand and a few pieces of the eggshell have fallen in. Here, watch and then you can go get cleaned up." She rapped an egg firmly against the edge of the bowl and gently pushed into the crack that was formed as a consequence with her thumbs, separating the egg into two halves before pulling them apart. The contents of the egg fell into the bowl harmlessly and she tossed the parts of the eggshell to the side.

"Since that kind little bot is doing the dishes for us, you'll have to use another sink. The second room on the right is a bathroom," said Bunny as she directed Videl towards the corridor. "I'll finish up here and you can help me with the exciting bit."

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Videl did as she was told and hastily made her way to the bathroom. She'd done surprisingly well given that the only time she could actually remember cooking a meal was on her last school camp. Her hand was a little icky but that was nothing compared to the bruises she frequently had to deal with instead. Making sure to take long enough to avoid having to cook any further, Videl eventually returned to the kitchen so as to not appear rude.

"Ah, you're back just in time dearie!" exclaimed Bunny. "Be a sweetheart and lay out spoonfuls of the dough on this baking sheet, would ya? We'll be needing about eight spaced out evenly."

"That I can actually do," muttered Videl as she got to it.

Soon the cookies were baking in the oven and Videl was left to her own devices as Bunny had to go answer a call from one of her old college buddies from back in the day. Videl felt a little bad for being surprised that the woman had attended college in the first place but figured there was no harm done if everyone remained none the wiser of it.

She had been tasked with taking the cookies out of the oven "when they were done". Logic dictated that all she had to do was wait for the oven's timer to tell her that but it was set to fifty minutes and Videl knew enough about cooking to know that she'd be better of nuking the cookies than keeping them in for that long. So, after spending a small eternity deliberating over whether the cookies were undercooked, just right, or ruined, Videl decided to take action.

And a few moments later, after she had taken them out and placed them on a plate, she found herself cursing her indecisiveness. They weren't exactly black but they were charred a very unsettling shade of dark brown. Unsure of what came over her, Videl broke a small piece off from one of the cookies and tried it.

In a perfect world, it would have melted in her mouth and tasted indescribably good. Alas, all it did was make her gag and long for a glass of water.

"Harpy!" exclaimed Vegeta's voice as he walked into the kitchen. "Fix me something to eat. That damn woman's bots have short-circuited again."

"Uhhh…" said Videl as she looked at her soon-to-be adoptive father awkwardly. This was the first time she had come face to face with the chauvinistic jerk since she had been made to eat dirt in the gravity chamber the other day.

"Where's that harpy run off to when for once somebody actually wants something to do with her?" asked Vegeta.

"She's gone off to go and talk on the phone somewhere," said Videl, putting two and two together and causing Vegeta to snort. Suddenly, she had to try very hard to conceal the smirk that began to overcome her features. "Say… if you're looking for some food, there are some cookies that I helped her make."

"Well don't just stand there," said an irate Vegeta as he reached for the platter of cookies. "I need to nourish myself."

Surprised that he actually wanted to eat them, Videl began to have second thoughts very quickly. Especially given that Trunks seemed terrified of even sneezing in the same room as the man. "You see, I don't actually know how to coo-"

"I've had the woman's food before," he cut her off, raising a cookie to his mouth. He swallowed the entire thing whole before pausing and gulping down dramatically. "Are you sure she didn't birth you?"

Videl laughed awkwardly and scoured the room for the closest corner to go and bury herself into. "To be fair, I did warn you."

...

Videl heard a loud clang from somewhere, almost as though a door had been banged shut. Deciding to pause her umpteenth expedition to discover every crevice of the gigantic Capsule Corp. building, she spun on her heel and tried to follow where the noise had come from. It took a moment but she soon found herself at the door of the gravity chamber, not for the second time in her tenure with the Briefs.

She hadn't visited the room again since sneaking off in the middle of the night to test her limits and all things considered, that was probably a good thing. Trying to move under more gravity was a difficult task. She had found that she could grit her teeth and walk around for a few minutes but prolonged exercise was akin to pulling on a rubber band: eventually, it - or she, in this case - would snap.

"Alright brat, we're going to start off easy."

There was no mistaking the gruff voice. It was much coarser than the irritated, almost-sarcastic one which had greeted her the previous afternoon. Videl had spent a sizeable amount of time laying at night, replaying the stint that Bulma's husband had pulled in her mind as she tried to ascertain whether it was actually a good idea to try and call Capsule Corp. her new home.

"Avoid getting struck by my index finger," said Vegeta. "I'll only use the one finger - no fists, no feet - but you're welcome to use everything in your arsenal."

Videl was pleased to discover a monitor in one of the corners of the room, displaying a live feed of what was occurring within the gravity room. She couldn't quite make out what gravity the room was set to but she could tell that it was in double digits.

She watched astounded as Vegeta moved with such speed that the machine might as well have been _lessening_ the force burdened on him and poked Trunks square in the cheek with his index finger. The poor kid went flying and landed on his rear a few metres beyond where he had last touched the floor.

"Not off to a very good start, are we?" asked Vegeta as he offered an arm and helped Trunks to his feet. "Anticipate my movements. Watch my body language, how my feet are planted on the ground and react. Block if you can't dodge."

"This isn't fair. You're way too fast for me!" exclaimed Trunks. The young boy gritted his teeth and waited for his father to make his move only for history to repeat itself. Videl winced as she watched the child brush himself off. How old was he again? Five?

"You're a Saiyan prince, boy," barked Vegeta as he adjusted Trunks' posture. "You should be above whining about fair and unfair."

The 'prince' mumbled a few words of agreement before looking up and meeting his father's gaze. Just as Videl came to the conclusion that she had seen enough and prepared to intervene, the black-haired man uttered a few words that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"If you can last two minutes without me landing a clean strike, I'll teach you how to fly."

…

 **Some readers wanted to know so for reference's sake, Videl's about 14-15 years old.**

 **I'd like to point a few of you to Team Dragon Star. It's a collective of authors that work together to write stories (amongst our most well-known ones are Tranquil Violence, Plus One and Failings and Misunderstandings) and, perhaps more importantly, we're looking for more writers. At risk of sounding like I'm trying to advertise a job, I'll state that there is no significant experience required - just a will to write and a decent grasp of the English language. If that sounds appealing, there are more details about the group and how to apply to join it on my profile.**


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